Bahrain protests lead to martial law

The king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifah, has declared martial law to try to end weeks of violent clashes.

Bahrain’s king declared martial law as his government struggled to quell an uprising by the island’s Shi’ite Muslim majority. Thousands of Bahrainis marched on the Saudi embassy to protest against the intervention (Pic: Reuters)

The king said the three-month state of emergency would ‘protect the safety of the country and its citizens’.

He also authorised the head of Bahrain’s defence forces ‘to take all necessary measures’ to do so.

The move happened a day after neighbouring Gulf states sent troops and police officers to help deal with the unrest, which followed pro-democracy rallies.

Seven people are thought to have been killed since the protests began in February.

Iran condemned Saudi Arabia for sending 1,000 soldiers and the United Arab Emirates for providing Bahrain with 500 police.

‘The presence of foreign forces and interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain is unacceptable and will further complicate the issue,’ said a foreign ministry spokesman in Tehran.

The Bahrain protesters have been inspired by those in Tunisia and Egypt, where rallies led to the ousting of their nations’ leaders

However, Bahrain differs from those two countries because it is split along Shia and Sunni lines, raising the risk of the state sliding into civil conflict.